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Overview
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Crohn's disease
Contents
Overview
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Living with
Crohn's disease is a lifelong condition where parts of the digestive system become inflamed.
It's one type of a condition called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Information:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice
Get advice about coronavirus and Crohn's disease:
Crohn's and Colitis UK: Coronavirus FAQs
CICRA: Coronavirus guidance for children with Crohn's and colitis
Symptoms of Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease affects people of all ages. The symptoms usually start in childhood or early adulthood.
The main symptoms are:
diarrhoea
stomach aches and cramps
blood in your poo
tiredness (fatigue)
weight loss
The symptoms may be constant or may come and go every few weeks or months. When they come back, it's called a flare-up.
When to see a GP
See a GP if you or your child have:
blood in your poo
diarrhoea for more than 7 days
frequent stomach aches or cramps
lost weight for no reason, or your child's not growing as fast as you'd expect
A GP will try to find out what's causing your symptoms and may refer you for tests to check for Crohn's disease.
Treatments for Crohn's disease
There's no cure for Crohn's disease, but treatment can help reduce or control your symptoms.
The main treatments are:
medicines to reduce inflammation in the digestive system – usually steroid tablets
medicines to stop the inflammation coming back – either tablets or injections
surgery to remove a small part of the digestive system – sometimes this may be a better treatment option than medicines
You'll usually have a team of health professionals helping you, possibly including a GP, a specialist nurse and specialist doctors.
Living with Crohn's disease
Living with Crohn's disease can be difficult at times. Unpredictable flare-ups and regular check-ups with your care team can disrupt school, work and your social life.
But if symptoms are well controlled, you can live a normal life with the condition.
Support is available from your care team and organisations like Crohn's and Colitis UK if you need it.
Causes of Crohn's disease
The exact cause of Crohn's disease is unknown.
It's thought several things could play a role, including:
your genes – you're more likely to get it if a close family member has it
a problem with the immune system (the body's defence against infection) that causes it to attack the digestive system
smoking
a previous stomach bug
an abnormal balance of gut bacteria
There's no evidence to suggest a particular diet causes Crohn's disease.
Video: Crohn's disease
In this video, an expert discusses the symptoms and treatment options for Crohn's disease.
Play Video
Media last reviewed: 2 December 2020
Media review due: 2 December 2023
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Page last reviewed: 22 April 2021
Next review due: 22 April 2024
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